Originally Posted by
bullypulpit
Art...? A definite "Maybe". Science...? Not by any stretch of the imagination. As for the top three rules of hermeneutics being "1) context; 2) context; 3) context", it is important to remember the context in which biblical scripture was written...The world as it was more than 2,000 years ago. It was 325 A.D. when the Council of Nicea which unified Chrisitan doctrine and dogma. The thing most people don't realize about the interpretation of religious doctrine is that they are interpreting fundamentally subjective interpretations of experiences which were inherently subjective. While this process can provide a broad, general guide by which to live one's life, to treat the conclusions drawn from it as absolutes is folly.
That's just about perfectly said. Just-about. People find lots of absolutes - and for good reason - within scripture.
“… the greatest detractor from high performance is fear: fear that you are not prepared, fear that you are in over your head, fear that you are not worthy, and ultimately, fear of failure. If you can eliminate that fear—not through arrogance or just wishing difficulties away, but through hard work and preparation—you will put yourself in an incredibly powerful position to take on the challenges you face" - Pete Carroll.